Investigators in San Ignacio still have little information to go on relating to the murder of Jose Mejia. Mejia’s decomposing body was discovered early Tuesday morning in the Victor Galvez football stadium. He had been stabbed multiple times to his neck and chest. Police have detained several persons and are asking the public to come forth with relevant information to solve the case.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The police found the body yesterday in a preliminary stage of decomposition. There is not much information forthcoming, so I want to appeal to the public: anyone who may have any information pertinent to this investigation, please feel free to call the police, 911 or call the A-TIPS number, 922 and provide the information and we see where we go from there.”
Reporter
“You do have suspects detained though?”
Chester Williams
“At this time, yes, I know police are interviewing a number of persons but we cannot say at this time that there is credible information to indicate that they may be involved.”
This week is International Emergency Medical Services Week, a time meant to bring together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of the medicine frontline. As part of the week’s festivities, emergency service providers from across the country gathered in Belmopan to introduce the practice to children in hopes of instilling an appreciation for the efforts made by the emergency service providers and potentially encourage students to pursue a career in the field. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended today’s event to learn more about the practice. Here’s that story. Gordon attended today’s event to learn more about the practice. Here’s that story.
Britney Gordon, reporting
Across Belize, there are over one hundred fifty emergency medical technicians and while that may sound like a lot, there is still a need for more. EMT’s are responsible for providing lifesaving care at the scene of an incident and ensuring the safety of those patients while they are on their way to a hospital. To celebrate the efforts made every day to saving lives, this week is internationally recognized as Emergency Medical Service Week. Javier Canul, who has been an EMT since the practice was introduced in Belize twenty-five years ago, spoke with us about the significance of the celebration.
Javier Canul
Javier Canul, Lead instructor, ABC Life Support
“Basically EMS started in 1988 in Belize where the Wagner Foundation came in and they did a brief assessment of what s happening in Belize and then they started training people. They sent Doctor Arana to the states to become the first paramedic and they started doing training all over the country.”
As part of the week’s festivities, several emergency service providers gathered in Belmopan to host an EMS Children’s Day, where the teams were able to educate children visiting from several schools about different practices, such as CPR and first aid. Lavinia Davis, coordinator of the event, explained why they thought it was necessary to welcome children into the activities.
Lavinia Davis
Lavinia Davis, Coordinator
“For EMT Week we have a day that we take out to do a lot of different things. And today specifically is International Children’s Day. And here we want to teach the children how to take care of themselves, take care of their family, their colleagues and also show them that we care and assist them should anything ever happen.”
Of the two hundred children who attended the event, a few were willing to share what they learned. Nelson Cha, a standard three student from Our Lady of Fatima RC School in Roaring Creek, said that he enjoyed the simulated accident where a patient was placed into an ambulance.
Nelson Cha
Nelson Cha, Std 3 student, Our Lady of Fatima RC School
“I learned how to rescue people and how to help people.”
Britney Gordon
“Did you get to see the ambulance? Did you like seeing the presentations.”
Nelson Cha
“Yes, I really loved it.”
Cha’s classmate, Haniel Baptist, also wanted to share his experience. He said that it was particularly exciting for him as he already has an interest in entering the medical field.
Haniel Baptist
Haniel Baptist, Std 3 student, Our Lady of Fatima RC School
“I learned about how they do the rescuing and over there, I heard their speech.”
Britney Gordon
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Haniel Baptist
“A doctor like my father.”
Canul further stressed the importance of sharing this knowledge with children, as EMT’S are scarcely represented at career days. He hopes that by exposing youths to the practice, it will help to curve the shortage of EMTs Belize is experiencing.
Javier Canul
“Basically whenever there is a career day in school, they never invited EMT’s. And yes there is a shortage. Wherever career day you see everybody else, but you never see EMTs. And this is important because the job that we do is prehospital care. Without prehospital care that patient can never survive and get to the hospital alive. So it is important that we do career day in schools and yes there is a shortage.”
There will always be a need for emergency medical services in Belize. Annette Groutsche, an EMT of five years, said that she just wants to spread the importance of her work to others.
Annette Groutsche, EMT
“The importance of EMS is that we have people at any given moment to save. This is what we were trained for, to be there when someone is needed, when help is needed.”
The search continues for Alicia Jacome of La Gracia, Cayo. The elderly woman reportedly went missing on Friday afternoon while everyone was asleep.
The chairman of Buena Vista Village said, “I sent a team from Spanish Lookout with 3 drones, and they couldn’t find any leads.” It has now been four days since Jacome went missing.
The chairman has asked the Belize Defence Force for assistance. She was last seen near Clifford Sabala Farm, located in the La Gracia area, at around 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
One person close to the family posed on social media. “So far, the search has been going on and no sign of her. We are asking volunteers to go do a search to find the person.”
If you have any information that can help locate Jacome, you are asked to call 6336024 or the nearest police station.
One person was killed following a road traffic accident on Tuesday night in Santa Elena Town.
The victim has been identified as twenty-one-year-old Jaylen Flowers, a resident of Unitedville Village. Flowers reportedly lost control of his Meilun motorcycle near La Loma Luz Boulevard. He sustained severe head and body injuries.
Businessman Dake Yu was shot during a robbery at 61 Supermarket in San Ignacio Town.
Shots were heard in the Santiago Juan Layout area. Witnesses say that two armed men barged into the store and held Yu and employees at gunpoint. According to reports, Yu was shot once.
Tonight, police have another murder on their hands to solve. This time, the incident took place in San Ignacio. That’s where the victim, Jose Mejia, also known as Kocho, was stabbed overnight. The crime scene is a popular sporting facility – the Victor Galvez Stadium. Mejia was last seen with a friend socializing at the location on Monday night. His body was found with multiple stab wounds to the neck and chest. While Mejia’s friends are gripped by the news, police are trying to close in on who’s responsible and why he was killed. Mejia, an errand man who liked to drink, was not known to trouble anyone. The area where the incident happened is on a main road. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The body of Jose Mejia was found early this morning in the Victor Galvez Stadium in San Ignacio. Mejia had been stabbed to the neck and chest and left for dead. A pool of blood near a bench in the middle of the stadium showed where he took his last breath. A friend of his, Sahib Espat, told News Five that he saw Mejia earlier in the day, but nothing seemed awry.
Voice of: Sahib Espat
Voice of: Sahib Espat, Friend of deceased
“I know him quite some years since I’ve been working with my dad. This is his place to be. He was working here with the neighbor, and I know him on the streets. All in all, he was a respected man, respectable person, always hailing people, a fun person, always full of jokes and stuff. And he used to come here in his free time, he used to come here smoking cigarette, come for lunch. My stepmom used to invite him for lunch and he used to be our friend here, family friend. Every day he used to pass on the street there, always giving us the time, and always a friendly person.”
Marion Ali
“And the last time you saw him?”
Voice of: Sahib Espat
“The last time I saw him was yesterday around this same time – around midday, maybe 1 or 2 pm. He passed there. I remember he hailed me. He was like, hey, yeah, Tuls, he tell me. And he crossed the street and ih seh I di come back, but from then, I never seen him again.”
Espat said Mejia indulged frequently in alcohol and thought that he had some undesirables as friends, but he did not expect to hear of his murder.
Voice of Sahib Espat
“In the night I never hear anything and two of my friends saw him and told me that they saw him drunk with another friend. And then in the morning I woke up to the bad news that it was him that who got murdered.”
Marion Ali
“Do you know if anybody was threatening him?”
Voice of Sahib Espat
“For the moment, I don’t know if he was being threatened or anything. But I know that with the friends and his company he had, they were not good company.”
Marion Ali
People known to police?
Voice of Sahib Espat
“People known for using drugs. And I think anybody under the influence of drugs are bad company, you know.”
So far, police have not detained any suspects for the murder and are investigating. Marion Ali for News Five.
Forty-four-year-old Ronny Sierra was working on the rooftop of a house in Esperanza Village when he slipped and fell. Sierra, a resident of Benque Viejo del Carmen, had just started working with a construction company three weeks ago. According to a relative, the incident has left the Sierra family in grief over the loss of their youngest sibling who had just left a voice message on Monday, wishing an older brother well. This morning when he fell, he landed on a wooden stump that had a sharp edge at the top. The stump penetrated Sierra’s right upper chest, causing his death. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This piece of stick protruding out of the ground wouldn’t be considered a hazard, but this morning, forty-four-year-old Ronny Sierra fell on it and lost his life. The construction worker was on the roof of this house in Esperanza Village when he slipped. It stabbed him in the right upper part of his chest, killing him. Sierra’s older brother, Carmito, told News Five via phone that Ronny took his job seriously.
Via phone: Carmito Sierra
Via phone: Carmito Sierra, Brother of deceased
“What we learned from him was that he needs to be punctual at work, and he needed to be at work every day. He was very responsible, not only with his immediate family, but with also his brothers and sisters. Whenever we needed help from him, when it comes to helping the family, he was al always there.”
Carmito Sierra said that he spoke with his younger brother only hours before he lost his life.
Via phone: Carmito Sierra
“I spoke with him only last night. I sent him a message because I was doing some construction work – getting someone to go to do construction work, and so I told him to recommend someone to me. The last words that he said was he wished me the best, and may everything go fine, and then God’s blessings. And just last night, he did that recording and sent it to me.”
Carmito Sierra said that the family will remember Ronny as a hard-working person who was selfless and thoughtful, and someone who always looked out for them, even though he was the youngest one. Marion Ali for News Five.
A deadly cattle disease has been detected in the Cayo District. A release from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) says that anaplasmosis, an infectious disease that is transmitted primarily by ticks and the re-use of blood-contaminated equipment such as needles, has been detected.
“We are aware of cattle mortality in the Cayo District and that we have been actively monitoring and supporting the farmers in the affected areas.”
The disease can affect cattle of all ages, with increased severity in poorly nourished, pregnant, nursing, or older animals. The risk of infection is higher when noninfected cattle are mixed with infected ones and when conditions favour biting flies and ticks.
Symptoms of anaplasmosis include weakness, weight loss, increased aggression, difficulty breathing, abortion, and anaemia, which may cause yellowing or paleness of the mucous membranes and thin, watery blood.
The situation in western Belize is currently contained and under active surveillance, not constituting an animal health emergency at this time.
The body of a male person was found early this morning in San Ignacio Town, Cayo. Preliminary investigations suggest that the body was found after six o’clock at Victor Galves Stadium.
According to reports, the deceased was seen with stab wounds to the back and neck. Police are investigating.
On Friday, we led our newscast with an upsetting story involving a foiled kidnapping attempt. An individual, whose criminal history includes a guilty plea for an unnatural crime, was apprehended by Belize City police after he snatched a five-year-old girl from a trampoline in her yard. The harrowing incident happened on Thursday, while twenty-five-year-old Shandy Pech was about to take a bath. Her daughter was outside in the yard playing when a male suspect, identified as Kareem Hamilton, appeared on the scene and attempted to abduct the minor. It wasn’t until another child who witnessed the ordeal reported to Pech what had taken place that she sprung into action and was able to catch up with the would-be kidnapper. When she did so, Hamilton reportedly refused to let go of the child, telling Pech that the little girl was his niece. That’s when the mother began screaming for assistance. Several neighbors responded and were able to take away the minor, while subduing Hamilton. Earlier today, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero told reporters that thirty-three-year-old Kareem Hamilton had been arrested and charged for the crime of kidnapping.
“On Thursday, May sixteenth, 2024, Shandy Pech reported that she was at home when she was alerted that a male person had taken her daughter. She immediately responded and followed a male person who took her daughter. An investigation was carried out and persons assisted her in the area and a person was detained. After the investigation, one Kareem Hamilton was detained, thirty-three years [old] has been arrested and charged for the crime of kidnapping.”
Paul Lopez
“Sir, is this individual known by police for this type of behavior?”
Hilberto Romero
He’s known to police, yes.
Reporter
“Has he tried to kidnap a child before?”
Hilberto Romero
“No, he had an incident with a child before.”
Kareem Hamilton appeared unrepresented before the lower court this afternoon where he was charged with on count of kidnapping and has since been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until July twenty-third.
